


someone who feels like home

by typhlosion (rooflesandelectrictrashcans)



Category: Onward (2020)
Genre: Adorable, Adults, Adults Acutally Being Mature and Communicating, Bisexuality, Cat Cafés, Cute, Dating, Developing Relationship, Domestic, Domestic Fluff, F/F, Female Homosexuality, Fluff, Gay, Gay Pride, Homosexuality, LGBT, LGBTQ, LGBTQ Themes, Laurel Breaks Up With Colt, Lesbian, Lesbian Character, Lesbians, Modern Fantasy, Pre-Relationship, Pride, Romance, Romantic Fluff, Single Parents, Wholesome, pride month, pride month 2020, wlw
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-14
Updated: 2020-06-14
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:41:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24714010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rooflesandelectrictrashcans/pseuds/typhlosion
Summary: Laurel Lightfoot comes to realize that Colt Bronco isn't the right person for her at all.
Relationships: Corey | The Manticore (Onward)/Laurel Lightfoot
Comments: 14
Kudos: 78





	someone who feels like home

**Author's Note:**

> excited to be the fourth fic in this ship tag! 
> 
> but man these ladies deserve each other

It's during one of Laurel's chosen hangouts that she finally brings it up. They're covered in cats instead of sweat in the weapons section of the local gym, and Laurel can't stand looking at the Manticore cooing at the little ones and keeping it inside any longer.

"Hey, Corey?" she speaks up as to get her attention gently. The woman in question giggles as a smaller black cat clambers on top of her paw, but perks up her ears nonetheless. It only occurs to Laurel belatedly that she probably shouldn't ruin the state of pure joy she's in. "I, ah… I'm going to end it with Colt."

Corey startles. Hard. She makes a spluttering sound at first, but gathers herself quickly so she doesn't accidentally hurt anyone with her twitching wings and sets the little cat on the ground. "What- what do you mean, Laurel? Did something happen?" she asked, leaning closer with desperate worry and confusion in her eyes. 

Gosh, she was so cute when she was earnest like that. Laurel struggles to contain a laugh, sipping at her own black coffee. "Calm down, honey, nothing's wrong, you don't need to worry about me--"

"Somebody should right worry about him, with what I'd do to him if he hurt you," she grumbles, messing with her teabag between her nails.

Laurel snorts. "You may be the mighty Manticore, but I'm a warrior myself, you know!" she declared, reaching over to bop Corey on the nose, "I can take care of myself just fine!" She then thumps her chest theatrically.

Corey breaks out into laughter, thankfully, mimicking her move. One of the cashiers glances over at them with concern, and Corey goes 'Ope!' and shushes Laurel. 

"Oh, you know you're the real Miss Boisterous." Laurel chides in a whisper, shoving her with her arm. 

"Shh shh, not if the baristas find out, I'm not!" The two of them cascade into quiet giggling once more. 

After a few moments pass of silence, Mantie taps at Laurel's shoulder again. "But really, what's going on with you and him?"

A small smile grew on Laurel's face as she looked at her, a little sad. "He's just… I'm coming to realize he's not the right person for me." She lets their eye contact linger, deliberate. Her long ears grow even pinker under Corey's steady and warm brown gaze. She scrambles for something else to say. "...I haven't told the boys yet."

"Whaat?" Corey leans back a little bit. "Are you sure they don't know, though? Ian's one smart kid even without those powers of his."

Laurel blinks, then looks down at her lap. A gigantic, fluffy tabby pawing at her ankle suddenly hops up, making itself at home on her jeans. "You're right, they might… but I feel awful, breaking it off just as they started to get along with him. I'm glad they did, he really is a fantastic guy."

Corey looks out towards the windows, scratching behind her own ear. "I'm sure."

"I just… it's not going to work, me and him. I can't see us together long-term."

"Or you don't want to?" Corey says, looking up through her lashes with a wry smile.

"Little bit of both," Laurel admits with a huff of a laugh. She sighs and rests her head on her arm, carding the fingers of her other hand into her new friend's fur. "He's… just so serious. He has one joke, you know? It's cute, but even cute one-trick pony gets old." 

She gets broken out of her mini-reverie by the sound of Corey's wheezing. Her head's on the table next to the teacup, and she's lightly thumping a fist on the table as she laughs. "I did _not_ expect you to drag him so hard so fast! Get it, girl."

Laurel pinches the bridge of her nose as her face warms. Holding back laughter, she thinks, _I should really let him know how I feel before I let something like that slip to his face._ Despite knowing it's a serious matter and that she would hurt his feelings by doing so, the image that comes to her head makes her laugh harder. 

She rests her hand over the Manitcore's. They're both near toppling over.

_Too soon,_ she reminds herself. 

They leave a hefty tip.

-

Her sons just ask if she's okay after she brings them together in the living room and tells them. She knows they weren't Colt's best friends in any measure, even after their personal Father's Day, but their palpable relief gave her mixed feelings.

It really warms her heart that they tried with him just for her sake, but the fact that their entire family is now fully rejecting him makes her pity the centaur. Just a bit. 

It also makes her feel guilty that Colt's the last one to know.

He… takes it well. He can be a gruff, stern guy, but he stays very still under Laurel's hand when she stops him in the driveway by the arm and tells him. He clenches and unclenches his hands, opens his mouth and closes it again. She gets a little jumpy seeing the tenseness in his body and the red in his face, not entirely sure if he was about to start crying or lash out. He doesn't do either, right there. He just swallows and tells her his time as part of her family had made him a better person.

He leaves a lot quicker than he came. 

She takes in a big gulp of the dusk air. Ending it makes her guilty heart a little lighter. She's finally able to fall all the way for another. She's allowed to. 

But before that, she's allowed to feel bad for hurting him too.

-

It's months later, in the gym, when Laurel thinks she's ready. Ready to take the leap. Just enough certain that she has a chance that it's worth it to try.

She still holds her battle axe in her hand, not trusting it to safely peek out the top of her bag on its own, even when wrapped. She's sweaty but not too smelly, and they're both in their light excercise clothes.

The Manticore carries on their usual chatter as they make their way down the stairs as a unit, not noticing Laurel's little smile and quietness as she chugs from her water bottle so she can empty it out before her flight home. Well, she doesn't notice until she finishes walking Laurel to her car. Then she catches her eye.

"Uhh… got something goin' on there, buddy?" Corey asks, brows furrowing with a smile. 

"Not much," Laurel says nonchalanty as she unlocks her new car and stuffs her bag and axe safely in the passenger seat. "Just have something to ask you."

She thought that she'd be a bundle of nerves, but right now, she's vibrating more from excitement than anything else. _I guess being attracted to someone since the first day you saw them can do that to you._ And even though there's a substantial chance this wouldn't work out the perfect way she's dreamed about, Laurel knows she can trust Corey to act like an adult about it. However she feels.

For the third time since exiting the building, Laurel wonders if she's really, seriously going to do this in a parking lot. But why not? They met in a parking lot, after all. It's gotta be poetic somehow.

Laurel closes the car door and leans against it with her arms crossed-- her palms are still sweaty, sue her. Corey follows suit, making the car budge a little. 

A snort comes out of Laurel's nose. "You think I'd have learned to get bigger vehicles with you around."

"Hey, I can be careful," Corey grins. She looks completely different than how she did fifteen minutes ago, panting while maxing out under the barbells. Now she looked just as relaxed as her part-lion self should be, sinking into the sun-warmed metal of Laurel's newish car. Corey clears her throat a little, and Laurel's eyes snap back to her eyes from where they had been drifting about her biceps. "So, um, what was it? Want me to make the flourless chocolate cake again for this weekend?"

Laurel takes a second to reaffirm in her head just how much she loves her. "Yes, definitely yes. Barley keeps saying he'll go gluten free just to have an excuse to beg for it." She rearranges her glasses. "But no, that's not it."

She takes another second to gather the final bit of courage she needs. It's also funny to watch Corey squirm a little. 

"I was wondering if you would… if you'd like to come on a date with me sometime, Corey."

The Manticore twitches her ear, her eyes wide. "Uh, come again?"

Laurel's eyes are starting to feel a little wobbly. "W-wanna go on a date? With me?"

Corey begins to blink, a lot. A smile starts to stretch across her face, hesitant and slow, and she presses a paw to her head as she looks around, maybe debating if this is real.

It wasn't a hundred percent clear, but Laurel really hopes that's a positive reaction. It doesn't take her long to find confirmation.

Corey begins to lean forward, eyes locked on Laurel and eyes softer than her own fur. "Excuse me, can I…?" She reaches up with one paw, and Laurel nods even though she doesn't know what it is exactly she's asking.

Her glasses are pried off with the most gentle touch she's ever felt and folded. Corey slips them onto her shirt's neckline before reaching for her cheek again, but just to hold her this time.

Those tears might just spill over.

"Can I kiss you?" 

"Yeah," Laurel says, an octave too high. 

Corey seems to melt, and then their lips are touching, and Laurel's melting into her.

She barely has time to bring her hand up to fist in her shirt before Corey pulls away. She follows her back a few inches and has to catch herself on the aforementioned shirt, making the both of them giggle then laugh, then she's scooped up into the most bear-like hug her lion lady could give.

"That's a yes," Corey whispers to her over her shoulder, voice in a warble. "Yeah, I'll go on a date with you. Anything, anywhere. I'd love to, Laurel."

She can't tell which one of them is hiccuping more as the clutch each other tight, and probably way too close for two women fresh out of a hard workout and in need of a shower. 

That doesn't matter in the moment, though. All that Laurel can think of is that she can imagine a future with the woman wrapped around her.

And she definitely wants to see it through.

**Author's Note:**

> Only found out 1.5k through that the Manticore DID have a canon name, Corey, and I'm so sad I had to scrap the cute nickname Mantie. anyways I adore these women


End file.
